Wagoner Team Preview

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE</a>. Overview (Class 4A Preseason Ranking: #9) What a difference a year makes. The Wagoner Bulldogs came into the 2020 season as the preseason favorites in Class 4A and absolutely wrecked shop on their way to a fifth state championship in school history. Fast forward to 2021 and the defending champs are in rebuild mode as they return a total of two starters on both sides of the ball combined heading into the new season. The defensive unit that was one of the more dominant units in recent memory returns two starters and a few other players with limited playing experience. The offense will look new as they’ll have a new quarterback, a new running back after [player_tooltip player_id="91337" first="Braden" last="Drake"] ran for north of 2,000 yards and new skill players everywhere. Because of that, they come into this preseason as the #9 ranked team in our preseason rankings, without a doubt the lowest ranking for a defending champion in any of the classes. After being so dominant in 2020, things are going to be a little tougher for Wagoner and Class 4A is going to be more wide open than ever before. Despite the low ranking in the preseason, we would be fools to write off the Bulldogs as a contender. They’re still the highest ranked team in their district and the favorite to claim the district crown. The Bulldogs will get everyone’s best shot in 2021 and they won’t back down from the challenge. <hr /> 2020 Results (14-0 Record - 4A State Champion) Sept 4 – Beat Coweta 28-0 Sept 11 – Beat Tahlequah 22-10 Sept 18 – Beat Sperry 52-0 Sept 25 – Beat Cleveland 45-0 Oct 2 – Beat Bristow 28-7 Oct 9 – Beat Catoosa 70-0 Oct 15 – Beat Miami 70-8 Oct 23 – Beat Oologah 48-0 Oct 30 – Beat Grove 59-14 Nov 6 – Beat Skiatook 49-7 1st Round – Bye Week 2nd Round – Beat Sallisaw 56-0 Quarterfinals – Beat Tuttle 21-14 Semifinals – Beat Cushing 40-14 Championship - Beat Clinton 42-13 <hr /> Players To Watch Fred Watson - 2022 Defensive Lineman The player with the most experience on the defensive side of the ball that returns is senior defensive lineman Fred Watson. He definitely benefited from playing alongside [player_tooltip player_id="38508" first="Isaac" last="Smith"] on the defensive line but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he totaled 85 tackles last year and four sacks. The 85 tackles is the most by a returning Bulldog and he’ll certainly look to step into that role that Smith had as the disruptive force along the defensive front for the Bulldogs. [player_tooltip player_id="160664" first="Gabe" last="Goodnight"] - 2022 Linebacker Right behind Watson is [player_tooltip player_id="160664" first="Gabe" last="Goodnight"], a linebacker who has an opportunity to really make a name for himself this fall. He flew under the radar last year playing on a defense full of stars, especially at the linebacker position. Now Goodnight has the opportunity to have a breakout senior season. He finished last year with 78 tackles and was second behind Watson in terms of returning players. The linebackers were special for the Bulldogs last year and Goodnight will attempt to continue that this fall. Gabe Rodriguez - 2023 Quarterback Gabe Rodriguez will take the helm at quarterback for the Bulldogs this fall and he certainly will bring a different element to the position compared to Sawyer Jones last year. Rodriguez will be a run-first quarterback and add that element in the backfield full of talented runners. Rodriguez will also bring a physical element to the defensive side of the ball. He had nearly 50 tackles on defense last year and brings some of the most experience back off last year’s stout defenisve unit. Marquez Barnett - 2022 Running Back The Bulldogs have the tall task of replacing [player_tooltip player_id="91337" first="Braden" last="Drake"], who had an outstanding 2020 season. And more than likely, Wagoner will do it by running back by committee. The coaches are confident in the running backs on the roster to collectively get the job done. However, the leader of the group could end up being senior Marquez Barnett. He has the leading yards returning and is lightning fast. He clocked in a 4.5 40-yard dash this offseason and will provide the Bulldogs with a big spark. Witt Edwards - 2024 - Wide Receiver A prospect that the Wagoner coaches are excited about and have us excited to see is sophomore wide receiver Witt Edwards. The young receiver stands at 6’6 and weighs over 200 pounds and has the chance to be a special prospect. However, he’s going to be incredibly raw early on as this is his first year of high school football. But as we’ve learned over the last decade or so, Condict knows what to do with big athletes that can make plays. Don’t be surprised to see Edwards put up big redzone numbers. More Names Caden Dick - 2023 Defensive Lineman Jamaal Riggs - 2022 Offensive Lineman Logan Sterling - 2022 Defensive Back Nikko Jones - 2022 Offensive Lineman <hr /> Notable We mentioned at the top how dominant Wagoner’s defensive unit was on their way to a state championship. Of their 14 wins, 6 of the victories came in shutout fashion. They didn’t give up more than 14 points in any of their games and absolutely blew out teams once they playoffs began, with the only exception being Tuttle in the quarterfinals. Head coach Dale Condict believes that the 2020 defensive unit for Wagoner might be one of, if not the best defensive units in Wagoner history. It’s hard to argue that fact. It was led by Texas Tech signee and first team All State selection [player_tooltip player_id="38508" first="Isaac" last="Smith"] on the defensive line. And with only two starters returning from last year’s championship unit, opposing offenses are looking forward to an opportunity to get a little revenge after their collective struggles last year. <hr /> 2021 Schedule/Games To Watch Sept. 3 - AT Coweta - The annual rivalry game between Coweta and Wagoner will kick off the 2021 season and the Highway 51 Rivalry is one of the better early season rivalry games that we’ll get in 2021. It’s always near the top of the list when you consider how competitive the two teams are and they’re usually at the very least contenders in their respective districts. After Wagoner shut out Coweta 28-0 last year, the Tigers will be out for revenge as they play host to the defending 4A champs on September 3rd. Coweta has title aspirations of their own as they come in at #5 in our 5A preseason rankings. Sept. 10 - AT Tahlequah - Things don’t get much easier the following week in week two as the Bulldogs stay on the road and face another 5A preseason top ten team in Tahlequah. The Bulldogs will shift focus from the Tigers of Coweta to the Tigers in Tahlequah and will have their work cut out for them. While Tahlequah isn’t as highly ranked as Coweta, they do present some problems for the Bulldogs. During the 2020 regular season, Tahlequah gave Wagoner their closest game, with the Bulldogs getting a 22-10 win. The Tigers did a great job of limiting the Bulldogs on offense with the exception of a few big plays. Sept. 17 - Sperry Sept. 24 - Cleveland Oct. 1 - AT Bristow Oct. 8 - Catoosa Oct. 14 - Miami Oct. 22 - AT Oologah Oct. 29 - AT Grove - We mentioned it at the top with Wagoner and their outlook on the 2021 season. Will they be as dominant as 2020? No. Are they still the favorites to win the district? Yes. The only other team in their district that came in the 4A preseason rankings is Grove. The Ridgerunners have been building up to the 2021 season where they plan on taking that next step as a program and contending with Wagoner for the district crown. With a team full of young, talented and now experienced players, they have the firepower to really push Wagoner in this district. We’ll have to wait until week nine to see this showdown. Nov. 5 - Skiatook <hr /> Championship History 5 State Championships (T-21st Most In State History) 2020 - Beat Clinton 42-13 2016 - Beat Oologah 28-13 2015 - Beat Oologah 15-14 2014 - Beat Oologah 45-21 2011 - Beat Clinton 23-0